Family Planning

The prevalence of HIV + adults in east-central Africa exceeds 30 percent, and the epidemic has spread to include groups traditionally considered “low risk.” In 1987, RZHRG examined the impact of an educational video patterned after existing U.S. and European models for a prospective study. This video was shown to clients at entry and used in conjunction with HIV testing. While the video and test intervention was developed in accordance with Human Subjects regulation and wasn’t designed to be an intervention per se, the increase in condom use and subsequent decrease in HIV and gonorrhea rates after entry was remarkable, particularly in women at risk for HIV/AIDS and discordant couples.

The RZHRG family-planning research initiative implements a randomized factorial trial of two behavioral video-based interventions to reduce unplanned pregnancy and thus reduce pediatric AIDS. The goals of the study are: 1) to determine the knowledge about family-planning methods in Zambian couples; 2) to understand the obstacles that stand in the way of Zambian couples who want to use contraception to prevent pregnancy; and 3) what can be done to overcome these obstacles. The study also aims to determine the role of educating couples and providers about longer-acting methods of contraception -- including IUDs and implants -- as a means to encourage their use and gain an understanding of whether planning their family’s future will influence their decision to use contraception.